An Apology
by thomthom830
Summary: Just a one-shot piece about the apology I think should have occurred between Anna and Ben. From Anna's point of view. All kinds of reviews are welcome and appreciated!


An Apology

My two best friends, Connor and Mary, just got married. They've been together since, well, it's kind of hard to pinpoint. I just can't believe how perfect the two of them are together. I wish I would have seen it sooner.

Connor and I had our thing…it wasn't anything spectacular. That spark I always thought I needed just wasn't there. He was relentless for a couple of years. He just really wanted to be with me and I was naïve, or just simply a bitch, and never really gave the poor guy a chance.

And in the middle of my off-relationship with Connor, I met this guy. Ben. Ben was perfect for me. Or so I thought. The man was married.

For a while, it wasn't a problem. He was unhappy with his wife and I was so stupid to think he would leave her for me. In what reality would that happen?

Without going into great detail, Ben was an asshole. But I'm not completely innocent in this story; I was having an affair with a married man.

After things went down the tube with Ben, I tried to force things with Connor. It was okay for a bit, but Connor deserved better than me.

Connor and Mary got together sometime after I left for a trip to India. They had met each other through me. I introduced Connor to Mary because she sold ad space in a newspaper and Connor was trying to improve his realty business here in the Baltimore area.

I don't (and can't) have a problem with them being together. Who am I in the grand scheme of the world to say "no, don't be with the person who makes you happy" just because I sort of dated Connor a couple of times? Those rules are ridiculous anyway.

And all of this background information, all of my ranting and raving, is to lead up to the events of today. Today is Connor and Mary's wedding day.

The ceremony was beautiful. Weddings don't usually affect me. I can sit through them and not bat an eye. Today, I sobbed through the whole thing as Mary's maid of honor.

Now, here I am, Anna Marks, sitting alone at the wedding party's table watching the two of them dance. They look so happy.

I'm going to need another drink.

I stood and headed for the bar. While I was waiting, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around and looked. My first thought was pure horror. I couldn't believe who it was.

Ben.

Married Ben.

The Ben I _never_ wanted to see again.

But I needed to keep calm.

"What are _you _doing here?" I asked.

He looked like he didn't know how to respond for a second.

"I am a friend of a friend. Baltimore isn't that big of a city. Besides, Connor sold the house for us…for me," he responded. "I liked your speech."

"Listen, Ben…"

"Can we go talk somewhere? Just for a minute?" Ben asked.

I took a deep breath. I didn't really want to talk to him.

But I nodded, that yes, I would listen to him.

I led him out of the reception hall and we walked to the back doors of the building. We stood outside underneath the coach lamps on the back of the building.

"Um…Ben, I…"

"I just really wanted to start out by apologizing to you," he said. He looked so sad, but an apology was a good way to start.

But I'm a grown up, too.

"I'm sorry I kept pushing myself onto you. I…" I said.

"Anna, I wasn't happy in my marriage, which, by the way, the divorce was just finalized, but that's beside the point. If I was a better person, I wouldn't have hurt so many people in an effort just to get out of my marriage. I hurt you, I hurt Janine," he said.

I nodded. Everything he was saying was true.

"But I shouldn't have made myself so available to you. I should have said to myself, that I didn't want to be the 'other woman'. But I was just so, into you, that I couldn't think clearly," I replied. "I left for India, spent a couple months there. Got cheated on, too. Everything had come full circle. I came home, apologized to Connor, and started to treat myself a little better. And dyed my hair dark."

"You do deserve more than being the other woman."

"I know," I said, smiling.

"So, do you accept my apology?" he asked, smiling his beautiful smile.

I smiled back. "I guess," I said. "But you're going to have to dance with me."

"Oh, the new 'me' doesn't dance," he laughed.

"Did the 'old' you dance?" I asked.

"Um…"

"Come on, if you want me to actually forgive you, you're going to have to dance with me. Okay?" I said.

So, this probably wasn't the smartest plan. I didn't know if I really wanted to get involved with Ben again, but he was finally apologizing. And he was now a single man. Maybe.

"Before anything else happens between you and I, I'm going to need to see your left hand, your divorce papers and you might have to take a lie-detector test," I said, laughing.

Ben laughed, too, as he held the door open for me so we could go back inside. "Well, here's my left hand."

I inspected it. "Hm…is that a tan line?" I joked.

"I don't have my divorce papers on me, but if you really…"

"I was kidding, Ben."

"I know," he said as I walked into the hallway. "By the way, I like the dark hair," he said as he followed me back down the hall to the party.

A/N: Okay, so it was just a little stupid fluff piece. I know what it's like to be cheated on and don't condone it under any circumstance. I just think Anna and Ben were good together. Please review. Thanks!


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